The Golden Retriever is a breed of dog, historically developed as a gundog to retrieve shot waterfowl and upland game during hunting. As such they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and an instinctive love of water. Their intelligence and versatility sees them employed in a variety of roles including illegal drug detection, search and rescue, as hunting dogs and as guide dogs. Its friendly, eager-to-please and patient demeanor has also made it one of the most popular family dogs (by registration) in the world today.~
British type
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5 months old Golden Retriever
Some variations do exist between the British type Golden Retrievers prevalent throughout Europe and Australia, and those of American lines and these differences are reflected in the breed standards. This type is bigger-boned, shorter, with a more square head and or muzzle and are generally slightly heavier. Males should be between 56–61 cm (22–24 inch) at the withers and females slightly shorter at between 51–56 cm (20–22 inch). Their weight, however, is not specified in the UK standard. The KC standard calls for a level topline and straight hindquarters without the slight rear angulation found in American lines.
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The eyes of American line dogs tend to be set further apart than those of British lines and can appear to be slanted and triangular in shape by comparison. A Golden Retriever of British breeding can have a coat color of any shade of gold or cream,(jack doggie) however, red or mahogany are not permissible colors. Originally cream was not an acceptable color in the UK standard, however, by 1936 the standard was revised to include cream. It was felt this exclusion was a mistake as the original "yellow" retrievers of the 19th century were lighter in color than the then current standard permitted. As with America lines white is an unacceptable colour in the show ring. The British KC standard is used in all countries with the exceptions of the US and Canada. Some breeders of this type in America may import their dogs to improve bloodlines. The incidence of Cancer among English bloodlines is significantly less than is seen in the American lines.
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American type
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An American Golden is less stocky and lankier than a British Type. A male should stand from 22–24 inch (58–61 cm) in height at the shoulders, and females should be 21.5–22.5 inch (55–57 cm) at the shoulders. The males weigh 65–75 lb and the females weigh 55–65 lb. The Golden Retriever is a dog with a variety of colors for the coats. The coat is dense and water repellent, in various shades of lustrous gold, with moderate feathering. The gait should be free, smooth, powerful, and well-coordinated. They originated in Scotland during the late nineteenth century and were a mix of the Tweed Water Spaniel, which is now extinct, the red setter and the Wavy-Coated Retriever.
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Canadian type
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The Canadian golden retriever is a newer type of golden. Appearance is meant to be similar to the American in height and weight, with a light coat color. Color is described as not as light as a British type, and not as dark as an American type.
Field line Golden Retrievers tend to be smaller and have a less dense coat than their conformation line counterparts. And usually, they are darker in color.
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~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Retriever
